Sadiq Khan’s controversial expansion of the hated Ultra Low Emissions Zone, whereby drivers of older cars in outer London are being charged £12.50 a day, is in meltdown. Cameras have been vandalised by ‘blade runners’, TfL’s number plate checker website has crashed and councils outside London are refusing to put up signage for the scheme. The Mail has more.
This morning the embattled mayor insisted the expansion of the scheme was not “anti-car or anti-motorist”, but Tories branded the policy a “money-raising exercise” with Transport Secretary Mark Harper saying he would have blocked it if he had the power.
The implementation has not been smooth sailing either, with Transport for London’s (TfL) number plate checker website – which allows motorists to see if their vehicle will be charged – slowing to a crawl and holding people in an online queue due to the volume of traffic.
Meanwhile, councils bordering London have refused to put up the road signs warning drivers they are about to enter the Ulez. Of the seven local authorities that border the capital, only Slough has reached an agreement with TfL – councils in Kent, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Surrey and Thurrock have not done so yet.
The Ulez hits petrol vehicles introduced earlier than 2005 that are not compliant with Euro 4 emissions regulations.
Meanwhile, diesel cars and vans are only exempt if their engine complies with more recent Euro 6 rules, which were introduced in September 2015.
This will snare popular vans registered before the cut-off date including Ford Transit Custom 310s.
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